Magazines partnering with brands to do good

Caxton Magazines is calling on readers to #WalkForAPurpose together with thousands of Joburgers who will take to the streets with woman&home and Bona magazines in a spectacular show of pink to raise awareness of breast cancer, in the 2018 Avon Justine iThemba Walkathon this coming Sunday, 21 October.

Now in its 13th year, the iThemba (Zulu for hope) Walkathon highlights the plight of women diagnosed with breast cancer, and sees survivors, families and friends of sufferers, and other supporters, come together in a show of solidarity and camaraderie.

This year, organisers expect a record-breaking number of women, men, kids and their furry friends to arrive at Marks Park Sports Club in Emmarentia, where they’ll walk a 5km or 8km route to #WalkForAPurpose

Last year’s event held in October 2017, was the biggest one yet, with a record 29 500 walkers clad in pink and white striding through the streets. Many walkers don special outfits for the day, and part of the fun is seeing the sea of pink tulle tutus, fairy wings, feather boas worn by participants!

Helping to spread the word about the event are partners woman&home and Bona magazines. With one in 26 women being diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, woman&home and Bona’s readers are the perfect audience to spread the message to.

woman&home’s 10 point-plan and tips for walking:

Always warm up and stretch before a walk and stretch and cool down after one.

Use good posture. Walk tall, look forward, gazing about six metres ahead. Your chin should be level and your head up. Keep your chest raised and shoulders relaxed.

Bend your arms at a slightly less than 90-degree angle. Cup your hands gently. Swing your arms front to back (not side to side – arms should not cross your body). Do not swing elbows higher than your breastbone. Swing your arms faster and your feet will automatically follow the pace.

Pretend you are walking along a straight line. Resist the urge to elongate your steps though. If you want to go faster, take smaller, faster steps.

Concentrate on landing on your heel, rolling through the step and pushing off with your toes. Use the natural spring of your calf muscles to propel you forward.

Pick up more speed by taking shorter steps. Aim towards walking 6km to 8km an hour. Start off by walking 1,6km as fast as you comfortably can. Then use how you feel afterwards to decide how fast you can progress. Build stamina with a short distance at a fast speed midweek and a longer, slower walk at weekends.

Breathe naturally. As you walk, take deep, rhythmic breaths to get the maximum amount of oxygen through your system. Walk fast enough that your breathing is increased yet you are not out of breath.

If you can say a sentence but can’t sing a whole song, you are walking at the right intensity to be burning off just over 800 kilojoules in half an hour on the flat, or 1255 kilojoules uphill.

Avoid mistakes made by walkers. Do not over stride. Do not use too vigorous arm movements, look at the ground, hunch your shoulders or wear or carry weights. For safety, try to always walk with at least one other person.

“This is the perfect example as to how our magazines can partner with brands to host events and that are completely relevant to its readership,” says Anton Botes, General Manager of Caxton Magazines. “We’re proud to be associated with the Justine Avon brand and applaud their drive in the education, awareness and screening of breast cancer in South Africa.”